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In Kiev, Venizelos urges more dialogue as Ukraine and Russia go on war footing

Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos has called for continued dialogue between Ukraine and Russia over Crimea after holding talks with Ukrainian interim president Olexander Turchynov in Kiev on Sunday.

“As the European Union president, and as a state, Greece supports the territorial integrity, independence, sovereignty and existing borders of Ukraine,” said Venizelos. “We are following a principled foreign policy that is based on the respect of international law.”

Ukraine mobilized for war on Sunday and Washington threatened to isolate Russia economically, after President Vladimir Putin declared he had the right to invade his neighbour in Moscow's biggest confrontation with the West since the Cold War.

"This is not a threat: this is actually the declaration of war to my country,» Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, head of a pro-Western government that took power when Russian ally Viktor Yanukovich fled last week, said in English.

Putin secured permission from his parliament on Saturday to use military force to protect Russian citizens in Ukraine and told US President Barack Obama he had the right to defend Russian interests and nationals, spurning Western pleas not to intervene.